Communication

SPEAKING ABILITY

As a child, I had a very bad lisp and cringed whenever I was supposed to read aloud or deliver an oration of some sort. My parents were instrumental in helping me overcome these early fears and embarrassments. I was enrolled in Hooked-on-Phonics, and my parents required me to participate in speech competitions. While this was a terrifying prospect, they practiced with me at home and I had a large support section at every competition. I continued to participate in communication classes, gave speeches, and even did a little debate. At the Bush School, these skills became essential to group projects, scenarios, debates, and nomination speeches for clubs. In the fall semester of 2016, I participated in a class that graded on not only the content of your paper, but also on the ability of the writer to deliver a speech on the topic that was clear and engaging to the rest of the class. I was a speaker that the rest of the class quickly looked forward to hearing.

WRITING ABILITY

My writing ability came much more quickly than my speaking ability. In middle school I won a "Know Your Constitution Essay Competition," and gravitated to writing to compensate for my early impediment. I used writing to get my point across in an attempt to avoid speaking, in the speaking section you will see that this was unsuccessful. I have attempted to take the most strenuous writing classes offered since middle school, and am consistently looking for new ways to expand my writing, whether that is attempting a different voice or deliverable, ranging from memos to extensive research papers. While I worked in the factory, an incident report that I wrote became the template for future reports, and I was regularly asked by my supervisor to write memos addressing issues for the rest of the factory. At school I have enrolled in a class that grades solely on errors found in the paper and forces us to write in a variety of different ways. It is challenging, but I welcome it as a means to improve.

Communication is the ability to effectively relay a message in a clear and concise manner to another person or an audience. I have dedicated time and energy towards constantly improving the way that I relay both written and oral messages. I have taken multiple classes focusing on developing each skill and have used them consistently every day. I implemented these skills at work in the factory in delivering memos to the board of directors, and by orally presenting at in meetings. I also constantly use these skills at the Bush School of Government and Public Service when relaying future concerns, policy recommendations, or project presentations in class to a visiting politician, expert, or the entire class.

One important aspect of communication that I have worked very hard to improve is interpersonal communication. When communicating it is important to build trust and to let people know that you respect them. The Dale Carnegie Leadership Certification focuses on improving the ability to communicate face-to-face, and I took the work very seriously. By the time I completed the certification, I was regularly ensuring I spoke to each and every employee right when they got to work and before we left. I wanted to know concerns, possible problems that could arise, and how I could help with any issue they were facing. I became a problem solver and soon the liaison between management and the shift workers. In one instance I was able to address a rift between employees that had been escalating over a few weeks. I directed them both towards different positions and by the time I left the factory they had both been promoted in their respected areas and were succeeding. These two employees understood that I cared about their success and knew I would listen. The development of solid communication skills is not an issue that I take lightly, and a skill I am always looking to build on.